


Sleeper Cell

by grayangel19



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-12 22:09:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3357056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grayangel19/pseuds/grayangel19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Returning again to the maze of his inner mind, Shiro decides to intervene in one of his worst memories and create a new life for Kaneki away from all of his suffering.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleeper Cell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bwoodystweam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bwoodystweam/gifts).



> Happy Valentines Day you nerds.

Shiro didn’t remember when he first found the labyrinth inside his head. It was a very early memory and not one he wanted to work for considering he had probably been suffering a lot to have driven him into his mind.

The hallway stretched before him almost infinitely, a warm light glowed down from soft yellow lamps on the ceiling. Doors of all kinds, spaced at seemingly random intervals littered the hallway as far as Shiro’s eyes could make out.

Even though he didn’t know how he had arrived here this time, and had found no guaranteed way out despite his best efforts, Shiro couldn’t help feeling at peace here. It was warm and quiet, so very different from the world he knew existed outside. He would always be safe here, even if the entire city of Tokyo fell into chaos.

Seeing no other option, Shiro began to explore the rooms of the building, opening doors and exploring each room, looking for what he couldn’t say, but he felt a deep urge that there was something he had lost here.

The first room was rather simple. A simple bed with unadorned black sheets and a blanket thrown over the top. A nightstand sat next to it, with an alarm clock that read 1:00 but no indication of morning or afternoon. An open window showed nothing but endless sky, no matter what angle Shiro looked from the room seemed to be floating in the middle of the clouds. A brilliant orange and pink sunset reflected off the puffy white clouds, shining vibrant colors on the walls of the room. Shiro would have liked to stay in this room if he could, but he had to keep searching. The feeling of need for this mystery object had grown stronger in this room, compelling Shiro to continue his exploration.

The next room was a massive bathroom, tan tile covered the floor, and an enormous bath lay sunk into the center of the room. Warm steam drifted up from the water, and multiple brass faucets were running gently into the bath. Into one of the walls, a black marble 2 had been placed, which Shiro now figured was the room number. The steam was making him tired and he really wanted to just fall asleep there in the warm water, let the rest of the world drift by while he was safe in his own little bubble of happiness. At least, it would be if he wasn’t being increasingly tortured by a sense of loss as if something was missing from this peaceful place. Reluctantly, Shiro moved on to the next room.

Each of the rooms afterwards contained something to make Shiro regret having to continue. With each door he passed through, the urgency of his search seemed to increase, as he inexplicably became more desperate to find what he searched for. He passed through rooms with increasing speed, some so fast he didn’t even remember what they looked like, a temple garden, a house by the sea, and strangely enough the Anteiku coffee shop. The last one made Shiro smile until he stepped through the next door and stopped cold.

A massive dome with black and white tiles on the floor, a red metal cage arcing over Shiro’s head. In the center of the room sat a boy, chained to a metal chair. In massive writing in front of the boy, in blood that could only have come from him, was the number seventeen. Without even seeing the boy’s face Shiro knew where he was. Any second now the master would come back and the boy would begin to scream. Blood would be shed and this child would suffer worse than anything he could ever have imagined. He wished he could do something, but Shiro was quite sure this was only a memory. As Yamori walked past him towards Kaneki, Shiro felt a murderous rage against the sadistic ghoul. Even though Yamori’s lessons would make Kaneki strong, Shiro did not want to see this innocent boy suffer. He reached out to stop him only to realize he was no longer there, now kneeling over Kaneki’s chained ankles. Shiro raced forward to stop him only to be crippled by Kaneki’s scream, a sound that echoed through his head and made his chest feel as if it were being burned from the inside out. Yamori moved with careful precision, taking Kaneki apart with practiced efficiency, as the young boy cried and begged for him to stop.

That was too much for Shiro. No amount of thinking was required to decide what to do. Memory or not he couldn’t let this happen.

Centipede tore Yamori apart in an instant, rendering his greatest foe nothing but a pile of refuse in one corner of the room. Crouching before Kaneki, Shiro gently caressed his face, slipping the blindfold from his eyes and wiping the tears from under his gentle gray eyes. How could Yamori have hurt such an innocent and beautiful creature? Shiro wasted no time in breaking Kaneki’s chains, careful not to let the sharp metal touch his skin, before pulling Kaneki into his arms, cradling his head to his chest.

Without a word from Kaneki, Shiro knew exactly what to do. With a new sense of purpose in his stride, Shiro carried Kaneki from the dome and back through the rooms he had come through, whispering softly in his ear with each room they passed through, describing them in detail and reassuring Kaneki that everything was alright now, Shiro would not hurt him. As they passed through the garden, Kaneki smiled at the description of the room, and opened his eyelids for an instant before they flickered closed again from his exhaustion.

The bathroom was a good place to return to. Shiro felt very tired himself, and only wanted to lie in the bath so it was not hard to imagine that Kaneki would to. Shiro simply ripped his own clothes off, but was very careful with the removal of Kaneki’s. Carefully unbuttoning his shirt, Shiro’s hands slid across Kaneki’s chest, moving the sleeves of his jacket off of his arms in one smooth motion that caressed the entirety of Kaneki’s upper body. Kaneki’s pants were a little more difficult, his feet were in no condition to be handled more than absolutely necessary, but Shiro managed it without causing him anymore than the minimum of pain. Lifting Kaneki’s naked form back in his arms, feeling his head nuzzle into Shiro’s chest, Shiro began to walk them both into the water.

The steam drifted around them as they floated in the warm water, Kaneki lying in Shiro’s arms with his head resting on the edge of the tub. “He looks so much happier here.” Shiro thought. “I’m never going to let anyone hurt him again.” As if sensing Shiro’s thoughts, Kaneki opened his eyes for the first time, and smiled at him, innocent, and free of all the pain he had been through in the other room. Before he could think about it Shiro kissed Kaneki on the forehead, running his hands through Kaneki’s soft black hair, hugging him closer to his chest as he did so.

As if this act of affection had given him some unknown energy, Kaneki threw his arms around Shiro, and pulling them both into under the water. Shiro laughed, a flurry of bubbles fluttering to the surface. Kaneki seemed to have exhausted all his energy in that playful little move, so Shiro scooped him up, lifting his head above the surface. After a weak little cough that Shiro thought was absolutely adorable, Kaneki allowed himself to be carried out of the bath. The steam from the water kept the air warm enough that Kaneki wasn’t cold, but Shiro wasted no time in bundling his loved one in a pile of towels resting near the edge. After ensuring that Kaneki was toasty warm and dry, Shiro wrapped another towel around his waist and carried him back through to the first room.

After placing Kaneki in the bed, drawing the blanket up to his chin, Shiro was glad to see his loved one sound asleep. He breathed slowly and gently, little puffs of air that flowed off the blankets to make ripples in his hair. Confident that his job was done, Shiro began to walk towards the door when he remembered something their mother had done when Kaneki was younger. Stepping back towards the bed, Shiro gently brushed Kaneki’s hair behind his ear and kissed him on the cheek. Kaneki’s reaction was instantaneous, grabbing Shiro’s wrist and pulling him onto the bed with Kaneki as he kissed him. Kaneki smelled so sweet to Shiro, but he could never think of eating him, he was far too precious. Here in this room, safe and warm, Shiro would keep Kaneki safe for all time. No matter what foul things were happening in the outside world, here in this room, Kaneki would be safe, preserved in his innocence for whenever Shiro needed him. That was all Shiro could ask for really, that from now until his death, that Kaneki would be safe and happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Not a bad way to spend Valentines day is it? I had fun writing this, but I'm a terrible judge of whether or not I'm doing a good job on the writing. Hope it brightened your day at least a little, whoever you are!


End file.
